The Downtown Bike Gallery once again stole the show in the BTA’s annual Commuter Challenge. The Downtown store rode away with the prize with an astonishing 99.2% of trips to work by bike! I had a chance to talk to Joan, the Downtown store manager about how they have been able to make bike commuting a way of life.

What’s so great about bike commuting? Bike commuting, besides being a chance to get outdoors, is great for one’s physical and mental health. It’s also an opportunity to show your commitment to our community: less traffic congestion, less pollution/climate change, and it reduces the strain on the economic costs of health care.

What is the general feeling about bike commuting at the Downtown store? Does this change during the highly competitive Commute Challenge? Our attitude is that commuting is what we do: we go by bike! And yes, during the BCC the peer pressure is intense. We don’t settle for anything less than full commitment.

Who has the most difficult commute in your store? Mary has a short but brutish 17% grade at the end of her trip home. Garrett’s trip is the longest (17 miles). Jude has to cross Powell, 39th, Hawthorne, and negotiate the “Morning Hawthorne Crit,” AKA the morning trip across the bridge. I’d have to say that this year Saki takes the prize for difficulty; he doesn’t own a bike right now, so he never knew what we’d be scrounging up for him. He rode it all: cargo bikes, cheapo bikes, women’s bikes, ill-fitting bikes, and numerous trips on a Shimano Coasting bike! His commute was definitely the most trying.

Who has it the easiest? JP and Greg don’t even need to wake up to get here. You’ll want to watch out for them on the Hawthorne Bridge!

What kind of arm twisting does it take to get employees to ride to work 99.2% of trips for a month? I threw this question out to my co-workers, since I was the arm-twisting team captain. Responses ranged from: “Have you priced parking a car downtown?” To, “The peer pressure was relentless!” The best summary was, “Have you ever met Joan?”

Any words of encouragement to potential bike commuters? If you’re thinking about giving bike commuting a go, remember, do what works for you. Each trip is an accomplishment. Sunny days only, once a week, once a month, or only during BCC, it all helps you and the community. You don’t have to wear a snorkel and get decked out in neon green, like the hard core commuters. You have your own style, and we’d love to see it!

Finally, I’d like to add that Daniel McGinnis (Bike Gallery General Manager) and Jay Graves (Bike Gallery owner) make it easy for us. Other workplaces would benefit from doing some of the things they’ve put in place for us: indoor, secure bike parking; a place to store wet rain gear; showers; and a pay incentive. It all adds up to happy employees.